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“I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me.” Jn 16:1–3 There … Continue reading They will kill you. →

At the end of the month of October every year, many Americans celebrate Halloween, a holiday that is oftentimes associated with the dead and the powers of darkness. There are, of course, defenders of Halloween who claim that it is fundamentally a wholesome holiday involving family, friends, and kids in cute costumes, but the reality is quite different. One cannot, for example, ignore the vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and other things from the occult – …

Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the martyrdom of St. Marina the Holy Martyr of Antioch, a wonderful role model especially for young women. She was raised as an unbeliever by her parents until her mother died. Afterwards, she believed in our Lord Jesus Christ and vowed to remain a virgin for Him, but her father disowned her because of her faith, which ultimately resulted in her martyrdom. She shunned marriage, pleasure, fame, wealth, family, – …

His Grace Bishop Serapion, along with the clergy and laity of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, offers prayers, condolences, and sympathy to the families of the 21 Coptic martyrs of Libya who received the crown of eternal life on February 13, 2015. We pray that the Lord may receive their pure souls in the Paradise of Joy and grant them eternal rest in the company of all of the holy saints who have – …

On Thursday, April 8, 2013, under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Serapion, the Diocese Holy Clergy Synod gathered to explicitly condemn the recent violence against Copts in Egypt that led to the martyrdom of at least five innocent Coptic Christians. Read the statement: Immediate Release – Khosos & Abbasaya

During these blessed and joyous weeks, we celebrate the The Feast of Nairouz and the beginning of another Coptic New Year. The Church chose the beginning of the reign of Emperor Diocletian in 284 A.D. to mark the beginning of the Church Calendar, because he was one of the cruelest emperors, who severely persecuted the Christians, especially in Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church offered thousands of martyrs during the reign of this emperor.When we celebrate – …

In the Christian understanding, a martyr is the person, who is killed, because of his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw this happen in Abu Korkas, where some Moslem extremists entered the church and killed the worshippers. Despite the fact that they knew nothing about them, they killed them just because they were Christians. There is also a higher degree of martyrdom, in which the person, who is suffering, is given the opportunity – …

A selection from St. Ignatius’s Epistle to the Romans For it is not my desire to act towards you as a man-pleaser, but as pleasing God, even as also you please Him…For if you are silent concerning me, I shall become God’s; but if you show your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race…Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but – …